Folding bracket fire-escape



W. E. TURNER.

FOLDNG BRACKET FIRE ESCAPE. 4 APPLCATION FILED MA.Y31. 1919.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

W. E. TURNEH.

FOLDING BRACKET FIRE ESCPE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYSI. 99.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

2 sHEETs-sHEE 2.

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

WILLIAM E. TURNER', OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL FIBE ESCAPE CORPORATION, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FOLDING BRACKET FIRE-ESCAPE Specification of letters Patent. Pate ted N v 30 1920 Application filed May 31, 1919. Serial No. 300,829. V

clare the following to 'be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fire escapes and i the primary object of the invention is to mally postoned in a prote'ctmg housing,

-provide an improved fire escape of compact form, which is adapted to be Secured to a building adjacent to the windows thereof or other fire exits. v

1 Another object of the invention is to pror vide an improved fire escape of the flexible cable type embodying a supporting reel norwhich is Secured to the outer surface of the walls of a building, said nvention also ema bodying an improved means for movng the reel out ofthe casing and for-'allowing a predetermined amount of the cable to unwind from said reel.

A" further object of 'the invention is to 'provide an 'improved folding fire escape embodying a supporting 'reel having a cable r wound thereon, by means of which persons are adapted to slide to the ground, normally positioned in a protecting casing, said reel being so arranged -in the casing that when the' reel is released the same will be spaced from the wall of the building' so as to effectively prevent persons sliding down the cable from bumping into the wall.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for holding the use, one that is simple and easy to manufacture, and one that can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

' With these and other objects in View, the ;nventon conslsts n the 'nove'l construce tion, arrangementand formaton of parts,.

as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and'illustratedin the accompanying drawings, forming a part ther'eof, 1I1 which:

Fgure 1 s a front elevaton of the improved fire escape, showing the same in operat 've position on a building,

F g. 2-is aoside elevation of the same,

Fg. 3 is a front elevation of the fire escape with the reel in its. projected position showing the protecting cover and front wall of the casing removed,

Fig. t is a detail section taken on the line i-t of Fig. 3, showing the'reel in its proje'cted position in full'lines and in its col- [lapsed position in dotted lines,

Eig. 5 isa detail section through we1ght, and

Fig. 6 is a detail View of the releasing means for the latches and reel;

Referring to 'the drawings in detail,

the

wvherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the 'several views, the numeral lgenerally indcates the fire escape which `includes the protecting casing oformed ofsuitable sheet metal and including the upper and lower walls 3 and 4:, the rear wall 5, and the front wall 6, which has the entire upper portion thereof cut away and this portion is adapted to be closed by a cover 7, which is hinged at the top edge thereof as at 8. The lower 'edge of the protecting cover 7 'carries 'inwardly extending horizontal shelf 9, the purpose of which will be hereinafter more fullv described. The casing is positioned on the wall 10 of a building adjacent to'the window or other fire exit 11 by means of an eye-bolt 12 that extends entirely through the wall 10 and is locked in position by means of the nut 13 turnedon the threaded end of thesame. A shaft 14:, is journaled in suitable bearings 15 carried by the rear wall 5 of the casing adjacent to. the lower end thereof and the terminals of this shaft extend outward through the side walls of the' casing and havekeyed thereto the angular arms 16, which have the terminals thereof bent inwardly to form: lugs 17 which are ,adapted to engage the extreme lower edge of the hinged door 7, so as to normally hold the same in closed position. The shaft 14 has also keyed thereto the spaced upwardly ex- .tending arms 18, which are arranged in the 'casing and have their upper ends inclined r inwardly toward each other and the upper ends of these arms have secured'thereto ears 19, which support the U shaped member 20,

' 'eover 7. s A

..normally held in closed -poston'hy thepv t fiotjed angular latcha'rms 16 and the same'are 'ohheld insen'gagement with the extreme lower has Secured thereto the reel 22 on which the fleXible cable 23 is wound. The central portinjxfi the bightportion of 'the U-`shaped n'1ein'ber20` hasfried therein a'n eye 24, which receives one end ofthe fiexiblechtin e 25, 'the opposite end of which is secnred to the eyebolt 12, and this chain lintsthe fc lownwzird 'movement of the arms 18, when lafmsythe same normally tends to throw the -arms otwa rdly, and to open the hinged As stated, the hinged' cover 7 s 'edge of the 'door 7 'by means of ?a 'fiexible of the htch arms at the angled portion -'thereo'f midis threaded throug'h an open- *outwardIv'extending pin 3O -seenre`d in the ?r wa'll lfl *Thiseffeti'vdy holds the &ngulmarms and .milow 'the-reel to move outwa'rd,

permits th *reel' to throw 'the 'door open.

A *vertical i tubing 32 extends 'downward 'f through 'eachfioor of the *building adj acent to the windows or 'fire eXits thereof and this 4 tiibi'trg rotatably supports 'a rod 33 which arm *35, poSitioned :adj scent to the 'lug i v i s lind-"this & rin 'is'edapted to enga'ge the eyew falim-28 amd* When'the rodis turned, the arm "will be turned and -'thue move the ring off of the 11`1`g'30 aJIfd Permit the reelto' 'move outward The free end ofthe cable 23 his Secured is desired to release the iatch' the reel and thisstop includes a lever 38 pivoted atwits inner end es at 39 to one of the arms IS and the opposte' end 'of 'the lever is provided 'with a, slmrpened pdrtion 40,

"the 'end ofthedever engages in one of the notches the reel is heldagainst rotation. A downwardiy extendin'g rod 41' is. cari'ied `by the 'level' 38 and this rod engages the cable rod 'll'fis set soTas to-perrnit the desired 23 'Carried 'by the reel, and'ho'ldst the *lever ont of engagement with the notohes. The

end efter this a-mount' has' been i paid therefrom and is: moved 'from nnderthe rod, the

of the notchesto prevent further irotation of thereel. r e e In applyi'ng 'the device to 'ztbuilding, the 'height of the same r is determined, and' the length of the jcable al lowed to be: paid from '25' ing 27 formed inthe wall 10. The free end iof *the flexible rope 26 earries "the i eye 28 which'is a'dtpted to "he positioned 'over' an the reel is aocordingly govern'ed.- w

'From theforegong descr ption, =1t can `be seen that an improved fire escape-:of com'pact seine time provides effective m eans 'for ztllonf ing persons 'to-"escape from the bni'ldi ing 'when necessary;

In practice, I-have found that the' form of myinvention illustrated in the 'accompenying drewings and refer'ed to insthe above desoripti on as the apreferred `em'bodiment, 'is 'the most'efiicient and pra'ctical; yet realizing the 'conditions xconcurrent with 'the adoption of my device will *necessarily vary, I desire `'to 'emphasize 'that various minor changes in detals of constrnetion, proportion :and errengement of' p atsmay bere- :sorted to," when required, without :sacrifioing :set forth. g x i `Vhztt I claim ass new is: 1. 'A 'fire 'escape conprising i a aeasing, a

awhinged -coverfor said cas ing arranged to any of -the advantagesof my 'i-nvention :as i

engage saidid-rimctohold the same, within the casing, when therlid'is in-its losed position, a pair of'cetehes carriedrbysaidashaft' :and rra nged to engge said; lidtohld the same in its closed psition,zrandr?means "for, releasingsaid catches so aszto permit the lid i to' Swing outward:

2. A fire escape of the class 'described including* 'casin'g, a 'shetit journaled in said easing adjacent to thedowr end thereof, a ;pa-ir: ofiarms keyd tofisaidsht, e` :drin ro tatably cafred by the upper ends of the arms and normally tending to throw the-arms outward, a cable wound upon said drum, a weight oarred by said cable, a hinged lid oarried by the casing and arranged when the same is in its closed position to holdthe arms within the casng, an inwardly extending shelf formed on said lid, said weight being adapted to rest upon said shelf when the lid is in its closed position, catches engagng said lid adjacent to the lower edge thereof to hold the same in its closed position, and means for releasing said eatehes.

3. A fire escape comprising a casing, a shaft rotatably mounted in the oasing 'adjacent to the lower end thereof; a pair of arms keyed to the oasng, a drum rotatably carried by the upper ends of the arms and normally tending to throw the shaft out- Ward, means for limiting the outward movement of the reel, catches carried by the shaft arranged to engage the extreme lower edge of the door, flexible means carried by the catches, a ring oarried by the ends of said fiexible means, a lugadapted to receive said rngs to hold the catohes in engagement With the door, and means to move said rings off of said lugs so as to permit said reel to open the cover and allow the reel to be proj ected therefrom.

, In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

XVILLIAM E. TURNER. VVitnesses J. STUART PAGE, ARTHUR V. CHAMBERLAIN. 

